Achieving Effective International Cooperation: How Institutional Formalization Shapes Intergovernmental Negotiations

World Affairs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 181 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-180
Author(s):  
Hartmut Lenz
Keyword(s):  
International Cooperation ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Domestic Constraints ◽  
Negotiation Processes ◽  
Central Argument ◽  
The Impact

This article explores how formalization of institutions and domestic constraints influence the outcomes of international cooperation and negotiation processes—particularly in a regional setting like the European Union (EU) or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Examining different forms of institutional setup along the formal-informal continuum, this study evaluates their impact on the successes and failures of intergovernmental negotiation processes. While some scholars have been vocal about the importance of institutional setting on negotiation outcomes, there has not yet been any systematic analysis of the impact of institutional variations on the actual negotiation process. This project specifies under what conditions domestic actors constrain governments, and how these conditions depend on institutional structures. I analyze the impact of institutional variations, concentrating on negotiation failure and deadlock situations, to form a framework that can differentiate between various bargaining situations and to understand their impact on the possibility to facilitate successful negotiation outcomes. The central argument highlights the need for more nuanced connections between institutional design, domestic constraints, and the level of formalization to understand the likelihood of success or failure of intergovernmental negotiation processes.

scholarly journals University students’ representations of Europe and self-identification as Europeans: a synthesis of qualitative evidence for future policy formulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Cores-Bilbao ◽  
María del Carmen Méndez-García ◽  
M. Carmen Fonseca-Mora
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Qualitative Evidence Synthesis ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Evidence ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe current European context is characterised by the emergence of socio-political tensions that threaten to derail the cohesion objectives traditionally promoted by the authorities of the European Union. With EU citizenship in the shadow of Brexit, the fear of dismemberment of the current Europe of the 28 looms over a renewed debate on concepts like European identity, European citizenship or EU legitimacy and the involvement of its constituents in European affairs, as well as the role of education for promoting democratic awareness among young Europeans. This work aims to collect, appraise and synthesise qualitative evidence obtained in primary research exploring the perceptions of European university students about their civic and cultural identity. This systematic analysis sets out to identify predictors of positive self-identification with the EU and its institutions, focusing on the impact that different educational interventions have had on the attitudes and perceptions expressed by university students, and the importance of foreign language learning in the results obtained. The authors report their assessment of quality of the findings in a Cochrane-style qualitative evidence synthesis (QES), based on the GRADE-CERQual (Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) method. The 12 informed findings described in this study support decision-making in future education policy formulation.

scholarly journals Two-Year Systematic Study To Assess Norovirus Contamination in Oysters from Commercial Harvesting Areas in the United Kingdom

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (16) ◽  
pp. 5812-5817 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Lowther ◽  
Nicole E. Gustar ◽  
Andrew L. Powell ◽  
Rachel E. Hartnell ◽  
David N. Lees
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Systematic Study ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTThe contamination of bivalve shellfish with norovirus from human fecal sources is recognized as an important human health risk. Standardized quantitative methods for the detection of norovirus in molluscan shellfish are now available, and viral standards are being considered in the European Union and internationally. This 2-year systematic study aimed to investigate the impact of the application of these methods to the monitoring of norovirus contamination in oyster production areas in the United Kingdom. Twenty-four monthly samples of oysters from 39 United Kingdom production areas, chosen to represent a range of potential contamination risk, were tested for norovirus genogroups I and II by using a quantitative real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR method. Norovirus was detected in 76.2% (643/844) of samples, with all sites returning at least one positive result. Both prevalences (presence or absence) and norovirus levels varied markedly between sites. However, overall, a marked winter seasonality of contamination by both prevalence and quantity was observed. Correlations were found between norovirus contamination and potential risk indicators, including harvesting area classifications,Escherichia coliscores, and environmental temperatures. A predictive risk score for norovirus contamination was developed by using a combination of these factors. In summary, this study, the largest of its type undertaken to date, provides a systematic analysis of norovirus contamination in commercial oyster production areas in the United Kingdom. The data should assist risk managers to develop control strategies to reduce the risk of human illness resulting from norovirus contamination of bivalve molluscs.

Internal Contradictions and External Anxieties: One ‘Coherent’ Arctic Policy for the European Union?

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 249-289
Author(s):  
Adam Stępień
Keyword(s):  
Dominant Role ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
European Arctic ◽  
Arctic Policy ◽  
The Impact

The European Union’s overarching policy towards the Arctic is an umbrella policy of complementary and coordination nature composed of internal, external and foreign policy elements. This article examines the policy framework from the perspective of ‘coherence’. What could a coherent and integrated EU Arctic policy entail – as called for by the Council and the European Parliament? I problematise the notion of coherence and offer an understanding of coherence deemed workable in the context of a regionfocused policy-making. Different dimensions of coherence are discussed: internal (lack of contradictory objectives), institutional (coherence between EU institutions), vertical (between the EU and its member states) and external (interaction with other Arctic actors). A number of interrelated contradictions or dichotomies are identified with focus on: Circumpolar versus European Arctic, maritime and terrestrial, internal and external, environmental and developmental goals. There is also a tension between the eagerness to adjust to narratives prevalent in the Arctic – owing to the anxiety of Arctic actors regarding the EU’S presence – and the need to respond to internal voices and retain EU values. While coherence as an ideal goal is a necessary principle of policymaking, its practical application may be counterproductive to a cross-cutting policy field, unless the meaning of ‘coherence’ is specified. I argue that the umbrella Arctic policy should be characterised by procedural rather than outcome coherence. That includes developing and maintaining durable mechanisms for dialogue with Arctic partners, management of the impact of EU policies, ongoing identification of gaps, effective internal coordination frameworks, and modes of continued involvement in Arctic governance structures. The Arctic policy could provide input into general EU decision-making processes, especially if inconsistencies are revealed. Institutional setting with a less dominant role of services focused on maritime and external aspects should be considered.

scholarly journals Northern Cyprus as an ‘inner neighbour’: A critical analysis of European Union enlargement in Cyprus

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Casaglia
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Enlargement ◽  
Northern Cyprus ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Turkish Cypriot ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

This article analyses the impact of Cyprus’s accession to the European Union (EU) on the northern part of the island, and tackles the political actorness of the EU with regard to the enduring Cypriot conflict. Much literature has critically analysed the EU enlargement process, underlining its imperialistic features and its problematic nature. At the same time, scholars have highlighted the EU’s difficulties in acting as a political actor and its impact on situations of ethno-national conflict. This article brings together these critical aspects by analysing them in the peculiar context of Cyprus. It retraces the negotiation process and the Turkish Cypriots’ in/visibility throughout it, and presents research conducted following Cyprus’s accession in three different periods between 2008 and 2015. We propose an interpretation of Northern Cyprus as an ‘inner neighbour’ of the EU, because of its anomalous and liminal status, the suspended application of the acquis communautaire, the unresolved conflict and the ambiguity of the border management of the Green Line, the line of partition between north and south. All these problematic features of Northern Cyprus’s situation are examined in detail to identify the unique position of this entity within the EU. In addition to this, and supporting the importance of a bottom-up understanding of the EU’s normative and symbolic projection, the article presents the opinions of Turkish Cypriot citizens about their expectations before and after 2004, and how their ideas and imaginaries related to the EU have evolved and interacted with the process of Europeanisation.

scholarly journals Preference Changes in New Liberalism: The Impact of Changes of Government on US Trade Negotiations with South Korea and Colombia

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-422
Author(s):  
Holger Janusch
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
International Cooperation ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Foreign Country ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
Zero Sum Games ◽  
Domestic Constraints ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In classical two-level games, international cooperation is less likely when there is large programmatic distance and smaller domestic win-sets as a result of changing preferences. The US trade negotiations with South Korea and Colombia question this hypothesis and emphasize two empirical insights that can be integrated into the two-level game to improve its explanatory power. First, smaller win-sets due to preference changes can mitigate conflicts of distribution and make cooperation more likely if the negotiators are aware of the smaller win-sets. Second, when negotiators perceive the already achieved bargaining results as a new status quo, former positive sum games can transform into zero sum games, which makes cooperation more difficult, irrespective of the size of the win-sets. Negotiators who perceive conflicts as zero sum games will put more effort into avoiding losses and, as a result, domestic constraints cannot be used as bargaining levers vis-à-vis a foreign country.

THE IMPACT OF ANALYTICAL SUPPORT AND PREFERENCE DETERMINATION ON CONSISTENCY IN E-NEGOTIATIONS — A NEW METHOD AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS

2010 ◽  
Vol 09 (05) ◽  
pp. 673-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL FILZMOSER ◽  
JESUS RIOS ◽  
STEFAN STRECKER ◽  
RUDOLF VETSCHERA
Keyword(s):  
Negotiation Process ◽  
The Other ◽  
Negotiation Support Systems ◽  
Compact Representation ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Negotiation Support ◽  
Negotiation Processes ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Shed Light

This paper explores whether the decisions made by a negotiator during negotiations are consistent with her preferences. By considering the entire set of offers exchanged during a negotiation, the measures of consistency developed in this paper provide a compact representation of important behavioral characteristics throughout the negotiation process. The consistency measures developed in this paper are validated with data from an experimental study in which the impact of two factors on negotiation processes is studied: the availability of analytical support and imposed vs. elicited preferences. We find that negotiators behave more consistently when preferences are assigned to them by the experimenters than when their preferences are elicited. On the other hand, an impact of analytical support is only found when preferences are elicited. These results shed light on both the design of negotiation experiments and the development of negotiation support systems.

How to Reduce Uncertainty in a Context of Innovation: The Case of IBM's Negotiation of its European Works Council

2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Le Flanchec
Keyword(s):  
Negotiation Process ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Reduction Mechanisms ◽  
Negotiation Processes ◽  
The Status ◽  
Works Council ◽  
Uncertainty Zone ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Acceptable Outcome

AbstractUncertainty is one of the natural consequences of innovation. Regardless of the particular area, innovation leads to unknown situations ranging from the creation of high-tech new products to profound modification of economic and social structures. This uncertainty creates difficulties for negotiation processes because it becomes almost impossible to anticipate all the consequences of any agreement. Consequently, innovation tremendously enhances the uncertainty of a negotiator with regard to his own interests. Uncertainty about the opponent's interests and behavior is of course another major concern and has been dealt with extensively by many authors. This paper deals with the very different concept of uncertainty regarding one's own interests. It analyzes the impact of this form of uncertainty in the negotiation process, examining the 1997–1999 negotiations at IBM over the implementation of a European Works Council. We show that when a negotiator is uncertain about his own interests, he is less inclined to consider positions located in his uncertainty zone. This occurs as soon as he discoevers an acceptable outcome outside of this zone, even when the agreement is little differentthan the status quo. The negotiator will persist in such a strategy even though alternative agreements located in the uncertainty zone could be more advantageous for one or even both parties. In order to enlarge the zone of potential agreements between parties, a negotiator should undertake one further step: exploration of his own uncertainty zone. We demonstrate that the adoption of such a strategy, is innovative in and of itself, requiring a pro-active and creative attitude on the part of negotiators in order to discover appropriate uncertainty reduction mechanisms.

Analysis of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement: a Unique Case

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-508
Author(s):  
Çiğdem Akın Yavuz
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Standard Approach ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
Irregular Migrants ◽  
Negotiation Processes ◽  
Distinguishing Features ◽  
The Eu

Abstract The European Union (EU) has thus far developed a standard approach towards the negotiation processes and the content of readmission agreements with third countries. This approach encompasses offering a visa facilitation agreement and visa liberalization to third countries as an incentive for the conclusion of a readmission agreement. The approach has, however, changed in the case of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement. This Agreement was signed simultaneously with the initiation of a Visa Liberalization Dialogue, by-passing the conclusion of a visa facilitation agreement. The content of the Agreement has also distinguishing features compared to EU readmission agreements. This article seeks to explain why the EU has changed its standard approach in the case of Turkey through analysing both the negotiation process and the content of the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement. In this way, this article strives to demonstrate that this shift is mainly due to EU’s concerns about effective return of irregular migrants who have been ordered to leave the EU, as well as the unique characteristics of the multidimensional relationship between the EU and Turkey.

Text creation in a multilingual institutional setting

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-77
Author(s):  
Sofie Van de Geuchte ◽  
Leona Van Vaerenbergh
Keyword(s):  
Situational Factors ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Official Journal ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Technical Content ◽  
Directorate General ◽  
Initial Idea ◽  
The Impact

Text creation is influenced by situational factors, like the context in which the text is written. In a multilingual institution, the context is especially important, because it is controlled by rules and guidelines. This paper presents a case study conducted in the European Commission and the Directorate General for Translation. The text creation and translation process were reconstructed starting from the published version in the Official Journal of the European Union back to the initial idea. The paper focuses on the impact that external processes have on internal processes. We found that text editing and translation go hand in hand and that translators are part of a cooperative system in which their input is of importance for the source text. Moreover, the impact of the institution is significant, since it determines not only the work processes, but also the linguistic form, technical medium and technical content.

scholarly journals A Contribution to a European Strategy for the Well-being of Citizens in the Face of Automation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Máximo Plo Seco
Keyword(s):  
Technological Progress ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Asymmetrical Impact ◽  
The Impact

This article investigates the current and expected impact of automation technology in the well-being of European citizens. First, we explore the technical, social and economic factors that determine technological progress and the implementation of the new technologies. Second, we review the expected impact of automation on employment. Finally, we assess the impact that automation will have on the well-being of European citizens in light of the two first sections. To this end, we draw on the expected asymmetrical impact of automation in people with different education levels and on current inequality trends. Throughout the article, we use a normative approach, prescribing what European policy makers should take into account in light of our findings. We find that it is unclear what the net effect of technology on employment will be, but automation of non-routine manual and cognitive tasks will displace a significant percentage of workers. We find that current trends of increasing inequalities will intensify due to the fact that automation will affect more low-skilled workers. We find that the current institutional design of the European Union is unfit to tackle educational and social protection challenges. We can therefore expect social resistance to technological progress and political instability in the years to come.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document